Another Day
by SaruhhBeth
Summary: "Would it be considered suicide if she just lay there in the grass, eyes closed and patiently waiting for the walkers to just take her away, infinite darkness settling in?" Takes place just after the season 4 mid-season finale when the group gets separated.
1. Chapter 1

"_Com'n Beth, we gotta go." He paused, his voice low and his tone drained and sad. "We gotta go!" She took only a second to look back; the tank in flames, the walkers moving in fast, and the smell of death…both fresh and old filled the smoke filled air. She tore her gaze away from the shattered prison and forced all thoughts of her father, Maggie, and the children out of her mind as she put her bravest face on. She nodded her head lightly as she clutched the gun she had in her hand, turning sharply on her heels before she followed Daryl, quickly falling into pace with the older man as they fled the scene, running for their lives and praying to find safety. Neither of them knowing what the future would bring whenever they got where they were going…IF they ever got where they were going._

Would it be considered suicide if she simply lay in the warm grass and let the walkers overtake her? Technically it wouldn't have been killing herself…right? I mean, surely it would look like a girl who was ambushed during a moment of exhausted weakness. That would be the story that Daryl could tell Maggie, Glenn, and the rest of them whenever he found them. If she just lay there and waited until she saw the black light, then Daryl could just continue on, probably making it to the rest of the group a hell of a lot quicker than if she stayed with him. Hell, it was probably only a matter of time before he ditched her anyhow; she knew she wasn't exactly the _ideal_ partner to get stuck with while trying to survive in the world that had gone to shit.

Her thoughts filled her head, new thoughts and questions passing through her mind a million miles a second, but her original question still remained unanswered. Would it be considered suicide? She honestly didn't know, and in her heart of hearts she knew she wouldn't find out. Still, laying there in the warm grass with the setting sun beating down on her pale face and the faint sound of one or two walkers in the distant background made her question it all. She was exhausted not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Her father was dead; killed brutally by a sick bastard…her home was gone; blown up and shot down by an army of men and women, and then overtaken by walkers…her family was torn apart; scattered and forced to flee separately during the madness. All of it was way too much to take in and way too much to handle but for some reason the young blonde just couldn't get herself to cry.

"What're ya doin' out here girl? Have ya lost ya damned mind, layin' in the grass like that? It's like ya just waitin' on a walker to get ya!" Beth was pulled quickly from her thoughts by the sound of an exhausted voice trying to be stern, but somehow failing. "Get your ass up and com'n. I cleared out the house so we just got to secure it down. We'll crash here 'til we figure somethin' else out."

The past few days had been rough not only on Beth but on Daryl as well, and just as bad too. They had managed to flee the prison and had made it back to his bike where they had driven for hours until the bike literally couldn't drive anymore. Of course, luck hadn't been on their side and it was dark when the bike finally gave way, forcing them to spend the entire night running and running, taking down walkers without making a sound, and overall just trying to survive the night. They had managed to rest for a few hours before they had gone right back to running, finding miles and miles of nothing but forest on one side and fields on the other.

Finally, their saving grace had come and they had found a medium sized house on a plot of land, darkness was about to fall and the temperature was slowly dropping. They knew the house was their only hope, but instead of helping Daryl clear it out, Beth had slowly collapsed in the grass, letting the harsh flashbacks fill her sight and her sadistic thoughts fill her mind.

Beth shook away all of her thoughts as she finally stood up. "Sorry." She paused, letting her deep blue eyes look into his as her shoulders slumped heavily, her body exhausted. "Not really too sure what I was doin'"

"T's okay Beth." Daryl met her eyes with a soft gaze, knowing she had just been through a lot. "But we ain't got time to rest in the grass. Only got a few hours of light left, we gotta make sure this place is secure."

Beth nodded her head as she bent down and gathered her things, letting silence take over as she followed him to the house, keeping close behind him.

* * *

"Hey Daryl, can I ask ya a question?"

The last few hours of daylight had been spent looting the place for anything and everything that could possibly be useful before gathering everything into the biggest bedroom in the house which they decided to hole up in for the night. They had hung a blanket over the window with an old hammer and rusty nails, and had found some candles and matches too offer them a bit of light throughout the dark night.

Once they had secured everything, they had silently shared an old can of beans…a meal that most would have turned their nose up too before the outbreak, but now the best thing either of them had come across in days. Finally, they had gathered their blankets and pillows and settled down in bed for a restless night, sharing the mattress and blankets, but never laying close enough to touch.

"Mmm?" Daryl moaned slightly in return, keeping his eyes closed as he waited for her voice to fill the air once again.

Beth took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before she began to talk, her voice breaking slightly. "Do ya think we're gon' be okay?" She could feel tears threatening to fall. "Do ya think we're gon' find our _family_?"

"Go to sleep Beth. We're gonna be jus' fine."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, so this is my first story in a **_**very, very**_** long time. I used to write, but then went through some things that just took me away from it. I've finally decided to get back into writing and figured I'd start here. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I have a ton of ideas for this story. Please let me know what you all think. It would be amazing to get feedback since this is my first story in nearly forever. Much Love!**

**The story is going to be Beth/Daryl centered, but I may bring in other characters later. It is rated M for violence, sexual themes, and also to give myself lots of room for later chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Walking Dead, the idea behind it, the characters, or the actors involved. **


	2. Chapter 2

**TITLE: **Another Day**  
RATING: **M  
**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything except the images in my mind.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: First of all I want to apologize for how long it took me to update this story. The holidays got the better of me and I just completely lost all free time. I am, however, going to start updating much more frequently, so long as I continue to have your support and feedback to fuel me. This brings me to my next point: Thank you all so much for your follows, favorites, and most of all your reviews. It really it what gives me the drive to write.**

* * *

_ God, how easy it would be to just run away and leave Daryl behind, knowing he would have no issue surviving and having the freedom to leave herself for the dead._ The odd pairing had spent the past few days doing nothing but securing down the house they were sleeping in, gathering anything and everything that could be remotely useful to them, and all-in-all just trying to rest up for a few days before rejoining the world of danger and heading back on the road.

She stood silently on the front porch of the deserted house, watching carefully as Daryl paced back and forth in the front yard, she could tell by his face that he was muttering something, probably cussing up a storm, under his breath. _Right now would be the perfect time to just disappear. Make her way quickly and quietly back into the house, not touching a thing along the way before slipping out the back door. From there she could make a run for it, her once track running legs taking her far into the woods before he realized she was gone._ She knew she wouldn't be so brave as to actually disappear, and she also knew that she valued her life, that she wanted to survive and make it to see a better world. And deep down, she knew that it would simply break her heart to leave Daryl behind.

She knew it was a crazy thought, but ever since they had left the farm she had found his presence to be rather comforting. They had been through so much together, not just Daryl and Beth, but all of them. They had seen things that she would never wish even her worst enemy to have to see; they had all lost the people they loved the most and the people they had grown to love. Their old loves had been unwillingly taken from them and they had been tossed into hell, forced to figure out how to survive and given absolutely no direction.

A quick movement caught her eye as she was quickly pulled from her thoughts. "Oh…" She breathed out softly as her blue eyes widened, staying locked on Daryl as she froze in place.

Just as quickly as she had looked up to see what was going on, she saw Daryl begin to panic slightly, the groans of the walkers now filling the air. Where had they all come from? One minute things had been peaceful, and the next minute a good sized herd seemed to be rolling through their temporary home. "Daryl!" She called out, making her way off the porch as she began running towards him.

"Beth?" Daryl didn't look up as he stabbed a walker square in the eye before pulling his knife out and stabbing it in the center of its forehead, backing up slowly as it fell to the ground towards him. "Beth, stay right where you are!"

Had it been Carl, Glenn, or even Maggie who had told her not to move in that moment, no doubt about it she would have pulled something slick in order to help save them. However, there was harshness and seriousness in his tone that told her she better not budge, so she simply froze in her place and let her blue eyes absorb what was going on around her. The herd of walkers had come out of nowhere, and had looked a lot smaller when she was standing on the porch. Now, all she could see was the walking dead making its way as quickly as they could towards Daryl, as well as herself.

"Daryl!"

"Beth! You gotta run back ta the house…NOW!" Daryl was moving faster now, killing the walkers as fast as he could while walking backwards towards the house. Beth simply stood there in shock, almost as if she was unable to move. Her glassy eyes watched closely as Daryl's arm pushed the knife into another walker, pushing it to the ground as he pulled his knife back out and turned quickly around. "Now Beth! Go!"

Beth winced slightly at Daryl's voice, the sight of the walkers, and the tight hold he had on her thin upper arm as he grabbed her and pulled her alongside him. Finally, she was snapped back to reality as she began running alongside Daryl. They were only a few yards away from the abandoned home, but the quick run back seemed to take an eternity.

"Lock the door! I'mma move the old dresser in tha bedroom…I'll push't in front of the door and we can shelter down in there 'til the herd blows thru."

Beth nodded her head, locking up the front door with the makeshift locks they had built up a few days earlier when they had gotten to the house. She then made her way through the house and to the back door, locking that one as well before making her way into the bedroom. As soon as she was in the bedroom, Darly slammed the door shut, locking the door before quickly and carefully shoving the dresser in front of the door. He let a long sigh escape his lips as he backed away from the door, moving slowly until his knees came into contact with the bed as he collapsed to the worn mattress.

Beth remained silent as she made sure the blanket was secure over the window before quickly securing another thick blanket over it, knowing that they couldn't afford to have any more attention drawn to the fact that they were hunkered down in the house. Once she had finished securing the window, she carefully lit the candles that they had in the room, letting a dull light settled in around them.

"What's the plan Daryl? I mean…we can't stay here forever? We gotta go."

She cautiously made her way over to the bed that they had been sharing, pausing only briefly before climbing up onto the bed. Daryl tilted his head so that he was looking at her, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, watching as her blue eyes began to tear up.

"Don't cry now, girl." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him in somewhat of an awkward, yet definitely comforting, hug. "I promise I won't let nothin' happen to ya."

Beth nodded her head, letting herself relax in his warm embrace as she swallowed her tears. "But what's next?"

"We wait it out. Ain't nothin' else we can do but wait."

**Please, please let me know what you all think. Thanks again for all of your support. Much love!**


	3. Chapter 3

**TITLE:** Another Day  
**RATING:** M  
**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OMGsh! Thank you all so, so much for the love of the story and the support and feedback. It seriously means the world to me. I'm going to start replying to everyone's reviews, but I'm still working on figuring out the site and such, so I do apologize.**

**I'm also still working on figuring out where exactly I'm going with this story. I have a few ideas I'm tossing around, but I'm still undecided, so any ideas on what you all would like to see would be amazing. I also have to say that I'm loving the love for the Daryl|Beth pairing! Well…I'm going to stop rambling now, and get on with the story. Please, continue to leave feedback and let me know what you think.**

* * *

_He stopped dead in his tracks as he looked out into the field of grass, his exhausted eyes suddenly feeling less heavy as a small smile formed on his chapped lips. In the back of his mind he knew that he should be mad, that he should rush out and force her to come inside with him, but for some reason there was something stopping him. They had been through a lot together, a lot more than most people should have to endure together, especially since they didn't really know the other one. But it was in their hard times that they had actually found one another; during deaths and new life, during running and war, through walkers and bad men. It was amazing how he could look out at the world, infested with the walking dead and torn completely to shit, and still see something beautiful in it all. Right there, laying in the grass for whatever reason, was the beautiful thing that was keeping him going…partly because he felt like he owed it to her father to keep her alive, but mostly because he knew he wouldn't be able to survive without her. _

Beth let out a soft groan as she rolled over, smiling slightly at the warmth she felt as her body rolled into his side. It was the first time in, well she didn't even know how long, that she had actually gotten a descent nights sleep, but she was brought quickly back to reality as she heard the faint sounds of groans coming from outside of the house. She slowly opened her eyes as she looked around the room, she could tell it was morning due to the sliver of light coming through a tear in one of the blankets that she had hung over the window when they first found the abandoned house. She let out another soft sigh as she sat up slowly, glancing over at Daryl who was still sound asleep beside her.

The previous night had been rough on the both of them. Daryl had attempted to hunt food, and had come back empty handed where he then spent the remainder of the day pacing around outside, clearly angry and muttering to himself under his breath. Beth hadn't done much of anything except rummage through some of the things they had found, eliminating a few things that they really didn't need and packing up the things they did. It had come as a shock to both of them when the herd began passing through, and it was no shock to Beth that the walkers were still there.

They just needed to figure out their next step.

"What to do, what to do…" She muttered softly under her breath as she ran a hand through her tangled blonde hair. She had to think of something, they had to get out of that room, of the house. They needed to figure out a plan and a way to escape, a way to get back on the run, maybe find the rest of their family, some other survivors…anything.

Finally, after a few more long minutes of sitting on the bed and just thinking, she quietly slid off the mattress and just as quietly slid her feet into her boots. She looked around the room for a moment before letting her blue eyes land on the knife that was in Daryl's pocket. Perfect. Beth bit her bottom lip gently as she silently made her way back over to the bed, readying herself to pull the knife quickly out of his pocket so she could go explore what was going on outside of the bedroom.

"You betta watch yerself girlie, ain't had nobody down there in a long time…" A smirk formed on his lips as he opened his eyes, Beth jumping back slightly at Daryl's voice.

"Uh…"

Daryl rubbed his eyes gently as he sat up, letting himself adjust to his surroundings for a brief second before letting his eyes land on Beth. "Just what do ya think yer doin' anyhow?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders as she stared at him. "We gotta do somethin' Daryl. We can't live in this small room forever." She looked at him with wide eyes, almost begging him to hear her out. "Besides, I got a plan."

"And what's that?"

Beth swallowed hard before she began speaking. "I was gonna just run, be a distraction from the walkers so you could get out. Figured we could figure out somewhere to go and just meet up there."

"Are you fuckin' stupid, girl? That's insane." Daryl brought his hand up to his forehead, rubbing it slightly as he looked at Beth like she had gone crazy.

"No, I'm not!" Beth paused, feeling her anger beginning to boil, all of the emotions that she had locked away threatening to surface. "Look, the other day when you was out huntin', I took it upon myself to take a look around. There's a car, a black SUV, maybe a block away. It's sittin' on the dirt road before ya get to the forest." She paused only briefly. "It's out only shot. I'll run a distraction long enough for you to get to the car, see if you can get it started. If not, we'll run right back in here."

Daryl sighed. "I can't let ya do it Beth; yer daddy would have my ass if he were still alive. It's my job ta protect ya, make sure ya come outta this alive."

"Well my daddy's not alive now is he?" Her voice was bitter and her eyes brimming with the tears that threatened to fall. "Now I know that I'm probably the last person you was expectin' to get stuck with during all this, and I know I'm probably the last person you'd actually want to be stuck with…but guess what, Daryl? Ya got stuck with me, and like it or not you're gonna have to let me step out." Beth looked at him, her anger and frustration subsiding as sadness took over. "It ain't all about protecting me and keeping me alive. Ever think about the fact that maybe someone could protect you? Someone could help keep you alive too?"

Daryl looked at her, the sadness and anger reflecting in her eyes, the serious tone of her voice. "I don't know…It's dangerous, too risky." He knew it wasn't a bad idea. He knew exactly what SUV she was talking about because just the previous day he had seen it too; he was even planning on checking it out before the turn of events had occurred. Not to mention the fact that he knew Beth could outrun the walkers, he had seen her running before, and man could she sprint. He also knew, though, that if something happened to her he would be letting Hershel down, and not only that he would be letting himself down. A small piece of him knew that he needed her, but no part of him would allow himself to admit it.

"Please." Beth wasn't too proud to beg. She knew her idea would work, and as long as Daryl could get the truck running, they would be back on the run and away from the herd of walkers. "Anything you do and your takin' a risk. Just like daddy said when everyone was sick. You don't have a choice Daryl, the only think you get to choose is what you're riskin' your life for." She paused. "And I'm riskin' mine for you."

Daryl let her words sink in, thinking everything over for a long minute before he finally spoke, his voice low and serious. "Fine." He looked at her, motioning to the few bags they had gathered over the past few days. "Grab just one bag, the backpack, I'll get the rest. When I let ya outta this house, yer gonna run, and yer gonna run fast. While yer runnin', you are gonna start countin' quickly. When ya get to two hundred, yer gonna run to the car." He paused, grabbing her shoulders and staring her dead in the eye. "I mean it Beth, I'll die myself if somethin' happens to ya."

Beth nodded her head, grabbing the backpack from the floor before sliding it onto her shoulders and helping Daryl grab the rest of their belongings. "Be careful." She whispered, keeping her eyes on him as they both made their way over to the dresser, passing a nod before moving it out of the way as silently as possible.

Daryl hoisted his crossbow into place before pulling the knife out of his pocket and handing it to Beth. "Take this, and don't be scared to use it."

Beth nodded her head as she took the knife from Daryl, holding it firmly in her hand before following closely behind him as he opened the bedroom door and slipped quietly down the hallway. There were no walkers in the house with them, however she could hear the groans getting louder as they made their way to the front door. "Daryl, what if…"

Daryl shook his head, hushing her immediately. "Nothin's gonna happen. I promise ya that!" Beth nodded her head as they approached the front door. "Just stick ta the plan, run as fast as ya can and only give me enough time ta get ta the car then haul yer ass there too."

Beth nodded her head again, her blue eyes locking with his. "I promise."

"Good. Now on the count of three…" Daryl placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it slightly while using his free arm to keep his crossbow ready to shoot so that Beth could get safely out.

"One…Two…" He paused, looking at Beth who nodded at him to continue. Though the fear had settled in, she was as ready as she was going to be, and she knew all she had to do was run. "…three!"

**Hope ya'll like it! Please, please keep leaving feedback. Much love!**


	4. Chapter 4

**TITLE: Another Day  
RATED: M**

**DISCLAIMER: As stated before, I own nothing.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I wasn't going to update so soon, but the feedback has been so amazing that I just wanted to update as soon as possible. You all are amazing, and I know I say that at the beginning of every chapter, but I mean it. I haven't written in so long that it just makes me happy to get such positive feedback on my first story in years. Having an audience really is what drives me to write. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter; I know it's written kind of odd, but I feel like this was the best way to set up what was to come. I hope you all still enjoy it though, and keep on reviewing, let me know what you think.**

* * *

"I mean, it's worth a shot, ain't it? Better than nothin'?" Her voice was filled with nothing but exhaustion as they stood on the forests edge, staring straight at what could potentially be their new temporary home. If Beth had to guess, she would say it was an old community college campus – the kind that had one main campus located somewhere in the heart of the city, with smaller campus locations scattered throughout different parts of the city. This particular one consisted of three simple brick buildings; more than likely a mixture of dormitories, classrooms, cafeterias, and a few more needed spaces for the small off site campus.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his greasy hair as he looked at Beth and then back at the buildings, it was clear someone had made it into something worthwhile. "I dunno, Beth. Could turn out ta be a buncha crazy bastards. I ain't tryna deal with 'nother Woodbury."

"Daryl, I'm beggin' ya!" Beth looked at him with tired eyes, her voice lacking any emotion at all. "We haven't had a break, or a meal, or actually felt safe in a long time."

_Her breath was stuck in her throat as she felt her back hit the cold ground with a thud, her knife falling out of her hand, and the decaying walker landing on her hips. "Shit…" She muttered, struggling to figure out exactly what to do. The gun that had been tucked into the waistband of her jeans was still there, tucked uncomfortably beneath not only her own weight, but the dead weight of the walker on top of her. She sucked in a deep breath as she reached for the knife, struggling only momentarily before she grabbed it. She wasted no time in shoving the knife deep into the soft skull of the woman, blood spraying all over her as the body fell completely lifeless on top of her. She let her head fall back into the ground, trying to catch her breath as she plotted her next move. It was her idea to be a distraction so Daryl could get to the truck, and so far it was doing nothing but backfiring in her face._

Daryl bit his bottom lip, staring at the buildings in front of him before looking back at Beth. She had taken a bit of a beating during their escape, and the past night probably hadn't been too easy on her either. It was easy for Daryl to see how exhausted she was – mentally, physically, and emotionally. It had been nothing but a downhill roller coaster since the battle at the prison and it only seemed to get worse with each passing day. The world had become a whole new level of hell, and trying to survive had turned into the battle of a lifetime.

"_What do you mean the car won't start? What the fuck are we supposed to do Daryl?"_

_Daryl cringed as the harsh language left her lips. He knew she was frustrated though, and with every right to be. She had just run for her life while purposely attracting a herd of walkers in her direction. And judging by the look of her torn and bloodied clothing, and the blood on her skin, it hadn't been easy. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to ask her what had happened as they had bigger things to worry about. Like the fact that the truck wouldn't start and the sound of walkers was getting closer by the minute._

"_What are we going to do? I don't know how much longer I can run, and we both know we can't go back to that house!"_

"_Calm down Beth! I'm doin' everythang I can tah figure somethin' out and yer bitchin ain't exactly helpin'. I'm thinkin', jus give me a minute."_

_Beth let out a defeated sigh as she leaned up against the car. It all seemed so hopeless now. _

"_Fuck!" Daryl kicked the front bumper of the car as he looked down the road, realizing it was time to run again. "We gotta go Beth, now!"_

_Beth nodded her head, looking in the direction Daryl was and knowing that their time to mess with the truck was gone, the walkers were coming their way and they had to go. She grabbed her bag, slinging it onto her shoulders as she fell quickly into step with Daryl, the pair running quickly off the road and into the depths of the forest. His words rang out through her mind as she pushed on, pushing her tired body and burning legs to their limit as she ran, those exact words becoming all too familiar, and it was almost too much to handle._

"Fine." Daryl's voice was low as he spoke, his tone more than serious. "But jus 'til we figure somethin' else out. Three days, max." He paused. "Hell, we don' even know if they'll take us in…"

Beth smiled brightly as she nodded her head. "It's worth a shot Daryl, it's not like we have any other options."

"We ain't gonna tell them a single thing 'bout were we're from, what we're doin'." Daryl shot Beth a glance, causing the smile to drop from her lips. "We ain't here tah get close tah these people, Beth. We're here to survive. Keep the conversation an small talk tah a minimum and don't reveal too much. We won't be stayin' long enough to build relationships."

_Daryl looked at the petite blonde as she retrieved a small blanket from her bag before grabbing another one out of Daryl's bag. She took the smaller of the two blankets and laid it out on the ground before rummaging around in her backpack and pulling out the hammer and a few nails from the house. She quickly, and as quietly as she could, used the rusted nails to hammer the other blanket to the tree, making what appeared to be a makeshift 'fort'. _

"_Shit…" Daryl hushed Beth as he watched two walkers wondering slowly in their direction, the noise of the hammering having caught their attention._

"_I've got an idea." Beth whispered, creeping up behind Daryl silently as she spoke. "Kill them two walkers an bring them over here. We can lay them out in front of the blankets. Use them as some type of repellent like Michonne talked about." _

_Daryl nodded his head as he quickly and silently put the walkers to rest before dragging their bodies back to where he and Beth had decided to rest. He did exactly as she told him too and laid the bodies at the edge of the smaller blanket before falling back onto the thin cloth, leaning up against the tree._

"_I know it ain't much…but we need to rest for a bit, and it's the best I could come up with using what we have." Beth smiled a defeated smile as she sunk to her knees on the blanket. She grabbed the other piece of cloth that she had hung from the tree and pulled it over them, tucking it beneath the walkers so it acted as somewhat of a tent for the two of them. She let out a sigh as she leaned back, positioning herself just a few inches away from Daryl, leaning slightly into his warmth as she rested her head on the tree. Within minutes she felt her eyes closing as she gave into the darkness, letting her exhaustion defeat her._

"Let's go Beth."

Beth nodded her head softly as she followed closely behind Daryl as they made their way to the fences that surrounded the former campus. Within moments they were harshly greeted by two men and one woman, all with their guns pointed, aimed at Daryl and Beth and ready to shoot if they needed to. The woman moved quickly to open the gate, and the two men grabbed Beth and Daryl, roughly pulling them just inside the fence as the woman shut and secured it.

"What are your names?" The woman's voice was soft.

The men kept a firm hold on Daryl, who was becoming more and more aggravated by the second, and Beth, whose eyes were wide with fear and potential regret. Maybe they should have just kept running, never even paying a second look to this place.

"Answer the woman! Who the hell are ya'll and where the fuck are you from?"

Beth cringed as the man pushed her forward, releasing his grip on her and readying his gun once again. She swallowed hard as she looked at Daryl, who was glaring, clearly angry at the man who not only had hold on his arm, but had a handgun pointed at his head, ready to blow. She let out a soft breath as Daryl nodded at her, giving her the okay to answer their questions.

Beth offered the other survivors a soft, innocent smile as she spoke, keeping her voice low. "I'm Lori…" She paused motioning to Daryl. "And this is Shane."

**Again, not completely satisfied, but I suppose it didn't turn out too awful. Leave your love! Until next time…Much love. **


	5. Chapter 5

**TITLE: Another Day  
RATED: M**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all except for my thoughts.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **I love, love, love all of you who are reviewing and following…like I've said every chapter before, it seriously means the world to me and really is my drive to write! Keep it up ladies and gents, keep it up! You are all amazingly wonderful and so supportive. That being said, a lot of the reviews and messages I've gotten have been complimenting how strong I've made Beth in this story. I want to thank you all for that, but I also kind of want to ramble for a moment and explain myself, however I'll save that for the end note! This chapter's probably going to be a bit shorter than normal, but it's for a good reason, so on with the story…**

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"Lori Grimes, and this is my fiancé Shane Walsh." Beth sat next to Daryl at a small wooden table that was set up in the community kitchen of the dormitory building. The two of them were being drilled with questions by the woman and one of the men that had met them at the gate, and also another slightly older man who had joined in.

"And what the hell brings you here? Why not just keep on walkin'?"

Beth looked up nervously at Daryl who she could tell was listening to every detail of what she was saying, but overall was paying her no mind and definitely not helping her figure out her web of stories and lies. She sighed silently as she turned on her Southern charm and began speaking once again. "Look, we really aren't looking for a place to stay long term. We've just been running for days, ya know? We need one, maybe two nights tops to help us rest and get back on our feet, and then we'll be out of here."

Daryl rolled his eyes at her added draw, listening as she spoke every word perfectly with her innocent accent, knowing she was just trying to draw them in to her. He chose to keep his full attention focused on the people in front of them rather than on Beth herself. He knew she wasn't going to try anything funny, other than tell the survivors stories of their romance and hardships using the names of their deceased friends. The new found group however…he wasn't so sure about.

"What are ya'll doin'?" The older man's voice was harsh as he spoke, his green eyes piercing into Beth and Daryl. "It's not every day that ya see just two people traveling together…most people we've come across these days have been in groups. What happened to yours?"

"We haven't seen the people we once survived with in ages. It's probably been over a year." She lied easily.

"That still didn't answer my question." He tapped his fingers loudly against the table as he looked at her. "What happened to your people?"

"We came from a farmhouse in a small Georgia town just outside of the city. We stayed there for as long as we could, far enough away from any towns or main roads that our troubles were mild." Daryl's eyes shot to her as she spoke of the farmhouse, he warned her not to give too much information away and she was treading dangerously close to disobeying his wishes. She smiled warmly at the people who were drilling her with questions as she continued to speak. "It just kind of happened. We started having issues with just a few walkers; one at a time here and there…and then one night a herd of them just came through. We were all separated, everything was burnin'."

Beth cringed slightly at her own words, the flashbacks and memories flooding her brain as she spoke. She had spent her entire life on that farm and before she knew it everything was gone, burned to the ground or overrun by walkers. None of them had been back there since. "Luckily Shane was able to get to me and we just ran, never lookin' back. We been on the run ever since, haven't seen none of our family or friends. It's just been us."

The older man looked over her, considering everything she had just laid out on the table for them to hear. "Fine." He paused as he turned his attention to Daryl. "Ya'll can stay here for as long as you need, but you must surrender all of your weapons right here. When it's time for you to leave, or if you choose to stay and gain our trust, then you can have them back. But not 'til then."

Daryl let out a long sigh as he hoisted his crossbow up onto the table, followed by a small handgun he had in his pocket and his knife. He nodded his head at Beth who then released her knife, tossing it gently onto the table with the other weapons.

"There will be consequences if this isn't all of it. There aren't many of us here, so we only cleared out the first two floors of the building. We've secured the other floors, but they aren't livable, so don't take it upon yourselves to venture that way. For now ya'll will be stayin' in 2A on the second floor. There's clothes, towels, and a few odd and end things that you can help yourself to in order to get cleaned up. There's a shared bathroom on that floor with water, but the water is limited, so don't take long showers. We eat dinner together every night at sun fall; you must attend if you intend to stay for any amount of time. Any other meals you want, you're on your own for." He paused, standing up and motioning to the younger man next to him to gather the weapons. "My name's Robert, this is William. If you need anything, let us know. Alyson here will be showin' ya'll to your room."

With that, Robert and William disappeared out of the room, leaving Alyson with Daryl and Beth. "Follow me." She said simply as she motioned for Daryl and Beth to gather their things and follow her.

It was a quick trip from the kitchen that they had been sitting in to the second floor bedroom that would be theirs for the next few days. Alyson had pointed out the shared bathroom on the second floor, the library that they were free to use, and the room that they were instructed to gather for dinner in. Finally, they arrived at the room that Robert had declared theirs. "This is it." Alyson said as she pushed the door open.

"Thank you so much." Beth said, giving her a small smile as she stood next to Daryl.

"Don't thank me." Alyson returned the smile. "And don't mind Bobby and Willie, they are the way they are because the last place we were stayin' in got attacked by some man. They killed a lot of our group and took everything we had; they're just lookin' out for those of us who're left."

Daryl shot Beth and questioning look as he listened to Alyson speak, his curiously peaked at her talk of the man who had attacked them.

"Now, don't forget, dinner is at sundown, so clean yourselves up and get ready." Alyson motioned to their room as she looked between the two. "I'll see ya'll then. It's nice to meet you, by the way, Lori and… Shane, right?"

And with that she was gone, leaving Beth and Daryl to get as comfortable as they could in their new temporary home, to clean themselves up, and now with a thousand questions about the people around them and the things they'd gone through.

* * *

**I'm so not impressed with this chapter, it just did not turn out the way I wanted it too! But I hit some important points for the story, so I suppose it's acceptable. Let me know what you all think.**

**Now to ramble: I think it would be extremely realistic for the show to start portraying Beth as a stronger female lead and digging into her storyline a bit more. All of the characters have lost someone so close to them, but we've literally seen Beth lose everyone – her mother, and the others from the farm, Jimmy, Zach, and now Hershel. Not to mention the fact that she's let loose with just Daryl, who is definitely one of the strongest men and a fan favorite and she's separated from Maggie and the baby.**

**I don't know, maybe it's just me but I would absolutely love to see them give her more of a storyline than just a mother figure to Judith and a younger sister to Maggie. She's got so much potential and I hope they bring that out in the coming episodes of the show! I also don't think that the Daryl/Beth shipping is too far from being realistic either. What do you all think? **


End file.
